A man accused of participating in the murder of a homeless man at Bonita Cove Park in Mission Bay last summer was ordered Monday to stand trial on murder charges.
Daniel Ruben Martin, 19, is charged in the death of Michael Shook, 65, who was stabbed three times and beaten early on the morning of July 5.
Martin, who was 18 at the time of Shook’s death, was arrested with a then-17-year-old boy in connection with the homicide. Martin is being tried as an adult while the other defendant is in juvenile proceedings.
According to testimony at the preliminary hearing in San Diego Superior Court, the juvenile is accused of stabbing Shook, while the two defendants are accused of beating the victim.
San Diego police Detective Chris Bernard, who interviewed both defendants, said Martin admitted to elbowing Shook in the face several times and kicking him in the ribs.
“I didn’t kill him, but by the time I was done with him, he was done,” Martin said, according to the detective.
Investigators also asked Martin about the victim’s pants, which were balled up and found near Shook’s body. One of Shook’s shoes was tangled inside the pants, which Assistant District Attorney Shane Waller said was consistent with the pants being forcibly removed.
Bernard said Martin admitted the victim’s pants were removed after the stabbing. When asked why, the detective said Martin laughed, then replied, “We thought it would be cool.”
The two teens’ accounts to detectives differed in some aspects. Martin said his friend and Shook initially had an argument that escalated into violence, the detective said.
The juvenile said Martin and Shook initially argued and at one point Shook pulled out a knife. The boy said he grabbed Shook’s knife hand and drove the victim’s own blade into his body, while Martin held Shook’s arm down, Bernard testified.
Defense attorney Amy Balfe argued her client was held responsible for his friend’s actions. Balfe cited testimony from a deputy medical examiner who performed Shook’s autopsy and said one of the stab wounds caused Shook’s death.
The lawyer also argued that there may have been provocation on Shook’s part, noting that the knife used in the killing belonged to the victim.
She also said that, according to a witness, Shook had been beaten and punched several times by a group of six people earlier in the night. Balfe argued that many of the victim’s injuries, including more than a dozen rib fractures, were likely caused by that altercation.
California Daily Newspapers
